3 Reasons to Eat Soup

It’s wintertime and while most parts of the country are feeling the cold, it feels like summer in Southern California. But that does not mean you should pass on eating soup—even though it’s traditionally thought of as a food for the cold season, soup has so many benefits, you should incorporate it into your diet all year long—especially when you’re striving for success with weight loss programs.

If you’re wondering why our medical weight loss clinics promote eating soup, read on for three excellent reasons to add it into your meal plan.

1. It satiates. Soup can be very filling and help you stay on course with weight loss programs and diets. Studies show that when dieters start their meal with soup, they consume significantly less calories throughout the entire meal than those who don’t. It fills you up with typically less calories than other foods, so it’s a great way to prevent overeating and taking in too many calories from the other foods that make up the meal.
   
   
2. It’s easy to prepare. All you need is a light broth, pan, knife and cutting board to make most soups and they typically take very little time to prepare. In addition, they’re quick, convenient and require little cleanup.
   
   
3. It’s an excellent way to get your veggies. When you’re trying to lose weight, it’s important to eat lots of vegetables for their nutrients and fiber content, which helps you stay fuller longer and promotes healthy digestion. To switch it up from eating raw vegetables, you can toss your favorites into soup. Anything can taste good in soup—from traditional choices such as beans, carrots and leeks to corn, peas, zucchini and potatoes. You can even add the chopped leafy vegetables our medical weight loss clinics promote getting into your diet, such as spinach and kale.

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Sauteed Spinach— Recipes for a low carb diet

To have success with weight loss programs, it’s essential to follow a diet that’s nutrient-rich yet low in carbs, calories and unhealthy fats. If you prepare recipes for a low carb diet using fresh whole foods that are packed with the essential vitamins and minerals our bodies need to function properly, you’ll lose weight quickly while improving your health.

Vegetables make excellent ingredients for recipes for a low carb diet—and fresh spinach is the perfect example. This green leafy vegetable is packed with omega 3 fatty acids, aka “healthy fats,” and antioxidants such as carotenoids, which boosts eye health, and other nutrients with anti-inflammatory properties. Spinach has a high vitamin K content and is an excellent source of calcium and magnesium, all of which helps build strong bones. In addition, the minerals in spinach can alkalize the body to offset the effects of a highly acidic diet.

The other reason why spinach is such a popular choice for those following diets or weight loss programs is that it’s easy to prepare. It can taste absolutely delicious with just a squeeze of lemon and a little garlic. Add a few more ingredients like we suggest in the recipe below and throw in some of your own favorite seasonings.

Ingredients

20 ounces fresh spinach
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
A few slices of lemon
1/4 cup onion, chopped
¼ cup mushrooms, sliced
Himalayan sea salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Use the extra virgin olive oil to saute the onion, mushrooms and garlic over medium heat until it browns lightly. Add the spinach and toss it with the veggies until coated. Continue to toss the mixture and cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until it starts to wilt. Remove from the heat and add lemon juice, salt and freshly ground pepper. 

3 Tips for Keeping Alcohol in Check

Many members of our medical weight loss centers visit us after a weekend of alcohol-induced bingeing wondering how they can undo the damage and not do the same thing when the next Friday rolls around. It’s a common issue that holds many individuals back from seeing results from easy weight loss programs.

Alcohol contains empty calories and diminishes willpower, causing many to indulge in fattening foods after a night of cocktails. While it’s best to avoid alcohol altogether, we understand that it’s not the most realistic choice for many. Instead of giving up on diets and easy weight loss programs altogether, here are a few tips for keeping alcohol and the effects it has on your waistline in check.

1. Don’t drink on an empty stomach. This is essential for so many reasons. When we drink on an empty stomach, alcohol is absorbed fast; you’ll feel the effects quickly and may get too tipsy by the end of the night. Instead, eat some lean protein before a night out on the town—it digests slower than other foods and will keep you from getting too drunk. Plus, your stomach will stay fuller longer and you will be less apt to binge on the empty calories on most bars menus.

2. Skinny your drink order. Instead of ordering a drink made with sugary mixers that contribute to an awful hangover, opt for non-sweetened, low-calorie mixers and low carb drinks. If you prefer beer, make sure to choose a low carb option, as a regular beer can pack around 10 grams.

3. Alternate water. At our medical medical weight loss centers, we promote proper hydration because it helps flush out the toxins in our body. It’s even more important to drink enough water when you’re consuming alcohol, to prevent hydration and keep flushing the toxins. Order a glass of water with lemon with every alcoholic drink. This will slow down your rising blood alcohol level and fill you up as well—you may end up drinking less than half of what you would consume when you’re not drinking water.

image: myhealthguide.com

5 Tips for Weight Loss Resolutions

The majority of us have all made a New Year’s resolution to lose weight at one time or another.  If this year’s resolution is to adopt one of the excellent diets or weight loss programs we recommend so you can achieve your weight loss goals, you’re going to need some strategies.

Read on for some tips shared by members of our medical weight loss clinics.

Be Realistic. This is one of the most important tips for achieving success with any diets or weight loss programs. When you establish an unattainable goal, you are only setting yourself up for failure. Don’t strive to lose a ridiculous amount of weight or to eliminate your favorite food for life. Instead, set small, manageable goals for changing unhealthy habits.

Log Your Progress. Write down your goals and keep a log so that you track each success, no matter how small. It’s actually better to break down your goals into smaller ones, such as “Lose five pounds by February 10” instead of a generic “Lose 40 pounds.”

Log Your Intake. Keeping a food diary helps many members of our medical weight loss clinics stay on track. Write down everything you consume and count the calories if that helps you. Don’t forget about beverages, condiments and sauces. When you see how much you’re consuming, you’ll be able to pull back in ways that you may not even notice.

Create Rewards. Develop a reward system for each goal met—just try to stay away from any food rewards. Celebrate your efforts with a movie, a new pair of jeans or workout apparel to help your stay motivated but encouraged by your results.

Stick it out. Studies show that it takes 21 days to adopt a new habit or get over an unhealthy one. Make sure to give new habits more than enough time to develop!

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